Weekend Jumpstart: July 18-20, 2014

Rock and rave all weekend long!

Lots of fun stuff to do this weekend, including a few great rock shows. One of which is free! How awesome is that?!

My pick, though? If you’ve got nothing planned on Saturday, you should go to the air guitar national championships. It’s entertaining, to say the least, but if watching real people lose their shit to fake performances isn’t your thing, don’t worry; there’s plenty here to keep anyone busy.

FRIDAY

Jonathan Wilson and Mystic Braves @ Figat7th Festival
Free show! Really, that’s the most important thing you need to know. The bands are good, too, if you enjoy the “Laurel Canyon sound,” according to Arts Brookfield. I wasn’t aware Laurel Canyon had a sound, but if Jonathan Wilson is any indication, it sounds a lot like blues and psychedelic rock. Somehow that makes perfect sense. Jam out FOR FREE on Friday.

Pennywise @ House of Blues – Sunset
Full disclosure: growing up in Pasadena, Pennywise was one of my favorite rock bands. They’ve been around for over two decades and have been one of the staples on KROQ for years. They’re a California band AND indie darlings. They’re like the epitome of cool via authenticity. Also, highly recommended for fans of Rise Against (if you’ve somehow never heard of Pennywise.)

Daedelus et al @ The Echoplex
Beats, beats, and more beats. Beats for days. What’s cool about this Team Supreme series at The Echo is that they feature different labels every time. This week they have instrumental hip-hop veteran Daedelus leading the charge with his Magical Properties tour. Anticipate amazement.

SATURDAY

Dada Land: The Voyage @ San Manuel Amphitheater
Dada Life is fucking weird. The duo’s affinity for champagne and bananas is well known to ravers by now, but they’ve got something a little bit different planned for their show this weekend. Instead of metaphorically jizzing over people, they’ll be spinning records from the safety of a hot air balloon, dropping beats on eager ravers. Brillz, Madeon, Morgan Page, and AC Slater will also be busy melting faces over the course of the two-day event.

Claude VonStroke @ Exchange LA
Squelchy, bumping, thumping house music. It’s acid. That’s kind of Claude VonStroke’s thing. The party this weekend at Exchange is in celebration of his latest EP, Calilove. Exchange is in the middle of downtown, which is actually pretty convenient if you intend to use the Metro. This thing is going until morning…

The U.S. Air Guitar Championships @ The Troubadour
Really, this is the most important thing happening in the city this weekend. Entrants will be judged on “Airness” (awesome), technical merit (how?!), and stage presence (makes sense). The top three will advance to the semis in Kansas. Yeah. This is a real thing.